The other day, I told a story about an acquaintance who had, not to put too fine a point on it, gone a bit mad, in that he was very, very angry about the possibility that a black woman might end up being the leader of the free world, and very, very angry about also having to admit that fact about himself. 

Anyway, since that encounter, what, two weeks ago? I’ve met more like him. People who tell you they obviously don’t like Trump, 

and oh my god, they loved Obama. Tulsi Gabbard, yes! RFK and his brain worm, definitely! But a wildly qualified black woman who smiles a lot? Mmmm…don’t you think she smiles a bit too much? 

And then I had a phone conversation with my Canadian cousin, who asked me if it was really true that celebrities were endorsing Kamala Harris 

because P Diddy has information on so many of them because of his freak-offs and somehow Ashton Kutcher. And she’s a smart, wonderful, progressive cookie – she just has no idea what’s going on over here, because she’s Canadian and doesn’t really care, and is rolling with the information that she’s getting.

Which is all to say. I am sleeping a lot better these days. If you were to ask me, Jordan, do you think Kamala will win, I would say yes, and then I would knock on my kitchen table so hard it would break in half, because I would remember all those conversations I keep having with people who say that they’re progressive as can be, but will still find themselves standing alone in a booth come November with no one but them to see which lever gets pushed.

Of course, even as the polling seems to shift ever-so-slightly in Kamala’s direction, the stakes are growing ever higher. Have you seen the kinds of things Trump is saying these days?

[Insert clips about beautiful body/fly in the room/etc]

It’s…he’s lost his mind. Which I don’t even mean pejoratively – people do sometimes suffer from dementia once they reach a certain age. It happens, and it can be devastating. But Trump is no doddering fool – and beyond that, he is surrounded with equally devastating plans for our country’s future, but better elocution skills and the benefit of extremely young age. 

[Insert clip of JD Vance saying something terrifying in a cheerful tone]

In short: J.D. Vance is about three seconds away from the presidency. So even though the winds finally, finally appear to be blowing blue, it is so crucial to remember that there are lots of people out there who will swallow almost anything except for a black woman. They won’t admit to it, but it’s true. There are also a lot of people out there who simply aren’t paying close enough attention to sift through the avalanche of truly bananas misinformation. Those are the facts. 

So no relaxing. Not now. If anything, it’s time to press harder.